This course has FAR exceeded my expectations. It’s given me a fantastic introductory understanding of Digital Strategy, but it’s also helped me connect the dots and get a better handle on traditional Planning. And there’s still one more week to go.

I’ve attended Miami Ad School’s Account Planning Boot Camp, read the popular Planning books (Truth, Lies and Advertising; Eating the Big Fish, etc.) and blogs and I’ve also worked as a Strategist for almost 3 years, but this is really the first time someone has given me a comprehensive overview of Strategy that connects all the dots. Up until now, I think I’ve done what a lot of other Strategists do: piece information together here and there and just learn on the job. That’s one way to do it, but I wish there were more resources like this class available.

Anyway, I can’t say enough good things about Julian, the course and Skillshare in general. It’s reignited my passion for Strategy and I’m already looking forward to my next Skillshare class. I’m posting a few decks from the course below. You can check out the rest of Julian’s decks on Slideshare.

“The Hunger Games” – Fast-paced and pretty good from a strategy perspective. It has a lot of “What would I do in that situation?” moments.

“On Writing” by Stephen King. The first half is basically a memoir that talks about his life and how he became a writer. The second half offers instruction on how to become a better writer. Lots of great advice.

TV:

Arrested Development – Just finished Season 1 on Netflix and it’s become my favorite comedy show of all-time. The writing and acting are so good; nothing on TV today comes close.

Ong Bak 2 – Martial arts enthusiasts will love this movie. These are some of the best choreographed fight scenes I’ve ever seen.

Skyfall – It got a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – go see it. Lots of action, great acting, great storyline and they continue to develop the Bond character, giving him lots of depth.

Country Strong– As much as I despise most Country music, this is a great movie. Solid story and acting with a surprising ending (to me).

The Amazing Spider-Man – I wasn’t sure what to expect with this reboot, but I thought it was very good: the story is well-constructed and it’s darker and less cartoon-ish than the Tobey Maguire version.

ARTICLES/BLOG POSTS:

How to Live Without Irony– This is one of those articles that seems to really pull everything together in its analysis of a specific cultural moment, showing us the interconnected nature of how the Hipster scene doesn’t exist in a bubble – it’s actually intertwined throughout every facet of U.S. culture.

Like this post? What were your favorites for the month? Add yours in the comments!